


the distance between us

by onigirikita



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arguing, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, M/M, Work, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29202333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onigirikita/pseuds/onigirikita
Summary: In a long-distance relationship, you’ll feel like the world is against you both. When you’re both at the fresh age of 19, busy grasping at your dreams and making them into reality, there’s only so much space left in your lives for a love that needs constant nourishment.Osamu was slapped with that painful fact once more.A story about love and the meaning of distance, from the eyes of Miya Osamu.
Relationships: Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou
Comments: 4
Kudos: 46
Collections: SunaOsa Valentine's Exchange





	the distance between us

**Author's Note:**

> My first SunaOsa piece is finally up, yahoo!! This is a gift for @arinfiveart on Twitter :D I hope you'll like your gift, Kari<3
> 
> Special thanks to @sunaosaexchange on Twitter for hosting this event!
> 
> Before reading, please read the **possible triggers** in this fic that I will state below:
> 
> **Trigger Warning: arguing, cursing.**
> 
> I hope you'll like it! :)

When distance acted as a separator more so than a space-giver, Osamu found himself selfishly wishing that time would stop, even just for a minute.

It was a meaningless desire, one that he knew would never be granted, but Osamu prayed for it nonetheless. He whispered his pleas to whoever would listen to the voice of his heart, begging for the world to stop spinning so that it could give him time to paint the view in front of him and cherish them in his memory:

Rintarou, squished beside his body in the cramped bed of his dormitory, still peacefully asleep and undisturbed from the light that was starting to filter into the room. Their heads lay millimeters away from one another on the same pillow, close enough that Osamu could feel the warm puff of air that was released from Rintarou’s lips and see the slight drool that managed to escape. The hint of chub on his cheeks was bunched near his eyes, and his dark hair was messily swept in different directions, forming a bed hair that was even worse than his own– _cute_ , Osamu can’t help but think. As time passed, the morning light breached even further into his tiny room, and Osamu’s shoulders could no longer shield his love away from it: the smooth skin of his face now glinted gold under the light, and the shutters of his eyes slowly blinked open, where emerald irises hazily met his dark grey ones.

His boyfriend certainly didn’t look handsome now– on any other day, Osamu would even tease him for looking so uncharacteristically messy when Rintarou was the one who cared about looks the most between them –but the domesticity that this view provided was enough to silence Osamu, to appreciate its rarity in the tranquil morning; making him want it to last forever.

To have Rintarou wake up next to him like this, every day; being the last person that he saw before he drifts into a dream and the first person he was greeted with when sleep left his eyes. 

Being in a long-distance relationship makes you wish for unattainable things, Osamu realized.

“What time is it now?” Rintarou croaked, pulling himself away from Osamu’s arms to blindly search for his phone.

Osamu sighed, choosing to bury his head into the crook of Rintarou’s neck and latch his arms back onto his lover’s body, never wanting to let go; never wanting for Rintarou to leave for months on end.

This was the first time that they’ve reunited after the V.League ended– after around five months of separation. Yet Rintarou could only stay in his university’s dorm for the weekend, even when their longing for each other hadn’t quite been satiated yet during his visit.

But everything in a long-distance relationship always turns out the opposite of what you wanted. This was a fact that Osamu was well-acquainted with.

“It’s almost 8, ‘Samu. My train leaves at 20.” Ever so gently, Rintarou pushed himself away from Osamu’, and the latter was forced to let go. Osamu turned his body on the bed, watching as Rintarou picked up the articles of clothes that were littered on the floor and pulled them on one by one, trying to make himself as presentable as he could with the crumpled clothes.

Osamu slid off from the bed, shaky legs walking towards where Rintarou was posing near the mirror to crash right onto his back, his arms finding their way to wound around his lover’s waist.

“Can’t ya stay for another day?” Osamu pleaded. He hated how weak and needy he sounded just now, but their parting came way too fast for him after their long separation. Surely Rintarou must’ve felt the same about his rushed departure, right? “This is yer first week of break, Rin. Can’t ya ask yer manager for at least a week of break with no jobs in it? That’s the least that ya deserve after what ya gave for EJP, ya know. Yer team went to the finals because of yer blocks and spikes.”

Their eyes met through the mirror, and the reluctance to leave in Rintarou’s eyes were as clear as the sky this morning. His hands– much larger and rougher than his own –traveled down to rest on top of Osamu’s own, squeezing them with the kind of urgency that screamed _I never want to let go_. “I know,” Rintarou sighed, and the hint of surrender– _acceptance_ –in his voice was enough to make Osamu’s heart clench. It was obvious that Rintarou already tried to negotiate this with his team. “I’ve asked that from them before. But new recruits are forced to train more than the senior ones, and well, I can’t really defy their orders now, can I?”

“For how long? Yer manager can’t just train you for the rest of your break, right?” Osamu asked, his mind already racing with scenarios of how _he_ would be the one to go visit Rintarou in Shizuoka instead.

As if he already knew what Osamu was thinking, Rintarou’s face twisted into a wince. “They... asked me to train for three days during the weekdays, and spend the rest of the two days to attend activities as I sponsor some brands. They can’t guarantee me a free weekend as well, since some photoshoots or interviews might pop up during that time.”

Osamu’s heart seemed to drop at the revelation. Isn’t that set up the same as when the V.League season was still going on? His heart cried.

“But that’s insane, Rin!” Osamu protested, “They’re overworking you! Doesn’t that count as a violation of your contract? I swear you were promised a _month_ of an uninterrupted break in it!”

“It is,” Rintarou sighed in defeat. He gently turned around so that he could face Osamu, and his eyes shone with an apology that wasn’t even _supposed_ to be said by him, “But this is the first team that recruited me, and they’re a _good_ team, ‘Samu. I know what they’re doing to me is wrong, but I just... don’t want to fuck this up with them and somehow end up with a terminated contract so early in my career.”

The years that Osamu spent to know Rintarou seemed to prove themselves in his mind, unraveling the implicit meaning that his lover was trying to convey: _please understand my circumstances. I’ve already tried my best when I talked about this with them._

And knowing that Rintarou already did, the pain of their parting, along with their prolonged distance, seemed to hurt even more now.

“Fuck, yer right,” Osamu bitterly admitted. Now, knowing that Rintarou wouldn’t be able to visit him anymore, there was only one option left if they ever want to meet physically: “Then, let me visit you in Shizuoka! I can go by train on a Friday night, right after classes end, and take the earliest train to Amagasaki on Monday morning. We can meet each other that way!” Osamu suggested, desperately hoping inside that Rintarou wouldn’t shoot down his idea, knowing the sacrifices that he would need to make to do the weekend visit.

But just as Osamu understood Rintarou thoroughly, this fact was applied the other way around. Rintarou also knew of the schedules that his lover had along with what they meant for Osamu.

“ _What?_ On your weekends?” Rintarou asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “I thought you had that part-time job as a cook during your weekends?”

Osamu seemed to shrink in his place when he knew that Rintarou remembered. _Busted_ , he sheepishly thought. Nothing can seem to get past his lover. Even then, he wasn’t ready to give up on his sole plan yet. “Well, yeah,” Osamu answered, despite the way that Rintarou was crashing his attempt with an unimpressed scowl, “But I’m not _always_ going to visit you every weekend, Rin. I think the owner would be fine if I skipped a weekend every month to visit you.”

Silence followed his words, unusually thick now that Rintarou was blatantly diverting his eyes away from Osamu’s dark grey ones. From the lines that gathered between Rintarou’s eyebrows and the way that his lips were shut into a thin, straight line, Osamu already knew what his lover was going to say:

_You can’t do that._

“No, I can’t let you do that, ‘Samu,” Rintarou said, just like how Osamu guessed. The frustration inside of Osamu’s heart seemed to breed further within, and tears started to pool in his eyes at what Rintarou’s words implied. “You’re not going to skip work for me, the same as I’m not going to skip work for you. We talked about this when we agreed to date, remember? Our careers first, and then _us_.”

Of course, Osamu remembered. 

Under the sakura tree near Inarizaki’s gym, during their graduation day. Rintarou had been the one who pulled Osamu away from the other second years, towards a place that was isolated enough so a love confession could be uttered from his lips.

_“Ya like me?” Osamu stuttered, cheeks growing pink along with his elevated heartbeat. His eyes blinked in disbelief at Rintarou’s quiet self, and he finally noticed the way that his best friend was shyly staring at the grass that they stood on, blushing beet red._

_“Y-Yeah,” Rintarou replied, “I’ve liked ya for a while, actually. And since we are graduating now… I thought that it’d be best to tell ya now, ‘Samu, since I’m not sure if I’m gonna get any other chances to do this in the future.”_

_Under the endless shower of sakura petals, the very moment that unfolded between them was supposed to be romantic._

_Yet all that Osamu could think of was how much time that they both lost, knowing that he liked Rintarou from the beginning, and knowing that they will have to separate soon._

_Amagasaki to Shizuoka was far, after all._

_“I like ya too, Rin. Ever since we first met,” Osamu honestly confessed, but the sadness that followed his voice was enough to alarm his best friend. Rintarou continued to stare at him, not sure if he was supposed to feel happy because his feelings were requited or the opposite because of Osamu’s worried expression. “But now, what then? Are we gonna date now, even though we are gonna be in a long-distance relationship?”_

_Rintarou glanced from Osamu, who stayed otherwise smiling in his sorrow, and drifted his gaze up to the gray spring sky. “Well, that’d be nice,” Rintarou admitted, his voice sounding distantly pleased at the idea, “But I know that long-distance relationships are hard to manage, especially the ones that include love. I’m willing to try it out with you though, if you’d like to try as well.”_

_“What about the distance? And our respective activities?” Osamu asked, concern bubbling even further in his heart, “I’m going to be busy with university, while yer busy training. Will we ever get to meet?”_

_There was a beat of silence. Somehow, Osamu already knew before Rintarou could answer that their meetings weren’t something that he could guarantee to happen frequently._

_“We’ll figure it out along the way. Let’s exchange each other’s schedule and see what fits us later on,” Rintarou finally replied, emerald eyes now returning to lock with Osamu’s dark grey ones, this time full of hope and warmth, “But let’s put our careers and dreams first before we prioritize our relationship, alright? I don’t want you to lose sight of your goal because we are busy trying to match our schedules, you know?”_

_There was certainty in Rintarou’s simple words that he was willing to try for their relationship, willing to put effort and sacrifice when the time calls for it, and that was what it took for Osamu to take this daring change in their relationship and climb up to the next level together._

_He and Rintarou, together. Dating._

_An awfully cheesy concept, if Osamu had to say so. But he also can’t deny the way that his heart soared high at what that meant: Rintarou loved him back, and he’s more than willing to get to know him better._

_“Alright,” Osamu breathed out, flashing Rintarou a small, content smile. He made the first move to gently clasp both of their hands together, giving them a careful squeeze. From the corner of his eyes, Osamu caught sight of Rintarou’s blushing face, and the thought of being able to see this rare expression again made his heart sing in joy. “But really Rin, ya should’ve said that ya liked me ever since ya realized yer feelings! Ya would’ve saved us more time and trouble if ya confessed earlier, ya know?”_

_Rintarou snorted at Osamu’s comment, teasingly rolling his eyes. “And what do you have to say for yourself? You liked me ever since our first day of high school, you asshole.”_

_They both dissolved into a fit of giggles, but the grip of their hands only seemed to tighten even more, eyes shining brighter with a love that was sweeter than the pink sakura petals._

“I _do_ remember!” Osamu spat out, the anger inside of him building up into an uncontrollable bubble, threatening to spill out from his heart, “Honestly Rin, are ya expecting me to just do _nothing_ when there’s a chance that we might not see each other again for, what, another few months?”

“I don’t!” Rintarou shouted, his voice rising to match with Osamu’s tone, “But I can’t just let you skip work so that we could meet, ‘Samu! We’ll figure out a way but... just not _that_ way, please. We can think of a way for us to meet in the middle of this chaos, but certainly not now.” The burst of emotion that Rintarou experienced dwindled into defeat, into _tiredness_ , and his warmth was pulled away from Osamu’s body as he took a step back.

Osamu stayed put, watching through the mirror as Rintarou flitted past him to get his travel bag, heading straight towards the door. The travel bag was dropped near the _genkan_ with a soft _thud_ , as Rintarou squatted down to put on his shoes.

_Wait. No. This is all going too fast. This is not how I want you to leave. Please–_

“Rin! Don’t leave...” Osamu turned around, pleading for one last time into the tranquil morning, to _Rin_. He could see his lover’s back turn rigid when he was called, but seconds have ticked by, yet there seemed to be no intention from Rintarou to face him, to hug him close and to claim his lips– to _fix_ this mess together –and the tears that have been pooling in Osamu’s eyes finally trickled down at the overwhelming ache that crushed his heart.

Rintarou suddenly stood up, all dressed and ready to go, and the swift motion caused Osamu’s breath to stop, waiting for what he would do next.

Instead of turning around like what Osamu hoped he’d to, Rintarou reached for the doorknob, opening it wide and letting the cold winter air in. “I’ll talk to you later, ‘Samu. I have a train to catch.” That was all that Rintarou said before his figure disappeared into the crisp, cold morning, bringing his warmth out of the cramped room and clicking the door shut. 

And all that was left in the tiny dorm were Osamu, his thoughts, and the cold weather of winter that managed to creep inside, running rampant with no _Rin_ to anchor them down and keep him warm. 

In a long-distance relationship, you’ll feel like the world is against you both. When you’re both at the fresh age of 19, busy grasping at your dreams and making them into reality, there’s only so much space left in your lives for a love that needs constant nourishment.

Osamu was slapped with that painful fact once more.

* * *

When Osamu’s eyes blinked open, everything around him was dark. It doesn’t take much from him to figure out that the sun has long set, and he’d been burrowing himself under a mountain of blankets throughout the day.

What woke him up was a constant buzz from under his pillow; his phone’s alarm. Osamu dived straight to fish it out from its hiding place, his thumb swiping up to end the nuisance.

Except it wasn’t his alarm. It was a phone call.

“‘Samu?” A soft voice spoke, filling the stifling quietness. The weight of their voice was enough to jolt Osamu awake, his mind immediately registering that it’s _Rin_ on the other end of the call.

“Rin?” Osamu asked, hope building in his fuzzy mind, begging that it really was his lover that called; that this wasn’t just a dream that would leave him gasping for air when he woke up.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Rintarou chuckled, a hint of relief tainting his voice. The simple sound was enough to calm the raging storms that enveloped Osamu’s heart because _it really is Rin who’s calling_ , allowing him to relax back into the bed, “Are you alright? Your voice sounds kind of dry. Have you drunk any water yet?”

“Hm, no, not yet. I just woke up,” Osamu replied. He rolled on his bed to get closer towards the nightstand, taking the glass of water that was situated there for a well-deserved drink. Once his parched throat was dealt with, Osamu spoke again. “How about you? Are you back in Shizuoka now?” 

The mention of the city was enough to make Osamu freeze. He was hit with the realization of how far Rintarou was from him now, and how little their chance might be to meet again soon.

His eyes started to sting again, the tears returning to the corner of his eyes. A relationship like this will never stop being difficult to accept for Osamu.

Judging from the silence on the other end of the call, Rintarou was having it just as difficult as he did.

A long-distance relationship was full of hardships, one that both of them knew too well.

“I am,” Rintarou sighed, “Listen, about our talk this morning, I’m sorry–”

“No, it’s me who’s supposed to be sorry, Rin,” Osamu had cut him off. He swallowed the lump that was starting to gather around his throat to continue talking, “I’m mad at our circumstances yet I shouldn’t have taken it out onto ya, Rin. What yer team decides was out of our control, even though ya already tried yer best to talk it out with ‘em. I’m sorry for pushing ya so much about this topic.”

Another sigh escaped Rintarou’s lips. Osamu had lost count of how many times that Rintarou did that ever since they fought. “I’m sorry as well. For shouting at you and for ruining our morning,” Rin added, his voice heavy with frustration, “I’m just disappointed about this as you are, ‘Samu. I was fully expecting to be able to spend my holiday with ya, and look at where we are now.”

It was at that moment did Osamu feel the coolness of the air seep into his bones, of the quietness of the room mocking his solitude even more. Here they were now: hundreds of kilometers away from one another, feeling miserable and missing each other.

It felt like the world was hell-bent on keeping them apart, when all that they want was to spend some time together.

“What now, though?” Osamu wondered. The bitterness that settled in his heart was thick and constricting, but his longing for Rintarou was stronger, making itself known. “I miss ya so much, Rin. All of this feels so unfair for us.” 

“I miss you too, ‘Samu. I miss you so badly,” Rintarou replied, without skipping a beat. The honesty and urgency in his voice were so real, a driving force that was strong enough to push the tears out of Osamu’s eyes. God, he really missed Rintarou that much, Osamu weakly thought. “Let’s talk, then? It doesn’t have to be about our plans to meet in the future, ‘Samu. Just talk about anything that we want to talk about.”

Talk.

Perhaps that’s a good place to start finding their solution; to detangle the longing mess that they were in, slowly and gradually. To soothe their aching heart bit by bit through the soft whispers of their voices.

“Sure,” Osamu replied. A small sense of relief washed over him, knowing that they were now alright. There were noises of sheets being pulled in the background as Osamu moved off from his bed, heading towards the kitchen. “But I’m hungry though, so I’m gonna cook dinner. Why don’t ya talk about yer train ride first? Was it alright?”

Rintarou’s laugh was heard next, and Osamu’s heart seemed to soar when he heard the melodic sound. A small smile returned to the curve of his lips, his heart now evidently lighter than it was before.

“It was alright. Though I sat next to a little girl throughout the trip, and she’s around my sister’s age. She’s quite brave for making such a long trip alone without any guardian accompanying her.”

“Oh yeah? Did ya talk with her?”

“I did! She said that she’s coming back home to Shizuoka since her family lives there. It feels like meeting my high school self, you know? Since I do commute from Amagasaki and back to Aichi when I was her age.”

They fall into their usual routine, of their languid talks being interspersed by the rhythmic sound of a knife against the cutting board and of sizzling oil from a hot pan. 

A solution for their problem might not be provided for tonight, tomorrow, or in the next few days. 

But the fact that both parties were willing to try and make their long-distance relationship work was comforting enough for Osamu, and for now, he settled to accept that fact and the domesticity shared over the phone call.

They can work on improving their long-distance relationship some other day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this far, and I hope you like it! Kudos and comments are appreciated!
> 
> Come talk to me on **Twitter** : @onigirikita


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